Purpose To provide a systematic record of Australia's transactions with the rest of the world, including international transactions in transportation and travel services.

Description The collection provides estimates of Australia's balance of payments, including significant detail for its constituent transactions.

The ABS conducts a number of surveys of businesses, individuals and organisations with international transactions and uses a variety of administrative by-product records in the compilation of the balance of payments.

The ABS and othercollections that are used in estimating the transport-related components of the balance of paymentsinclude:

Survey of International Trade in Services which collects data on a wide range of services including transportationand travel;

International trade statistics which provide data on the export and import of vessels and aircraft; the freight and insurance paid on imports of goods to both resident and non-resident international transport operators, cross-classified by mode of transport; and the expenditure in Australian ports by foreign carriers on bunkers, aviation fuel and on-board catering supplies;

The International Visitor Survey conducted by the Bureau of Tourism Research and which measures domestic and international airline tickets purchased in Australia by international visitors; and

The Survey of Returned Australian Travellers which measures international airline tickets purchased abroad by Australian travellers.

Data Detail

Balance of payments summary;

Current account;

Seasonally adjusted and trend estimates for current account aggregates;

Capital account;

Financial account (includes Official reserve assets); and

Exchange rates.

Data are available on current account credits and debits for transportation services.

The main transport related components include the earnings and expenditure abroad of Australian resident transport operators, and the earnings and expenditure in Australia of non-resident transport operators. (Credits include freight and insurance on exports earned by residents, charter and leasing, goods procured in ports by non-residents and other transportation credits. Debits include freight and insurance on imports by non-residents, passenger services earned by non-residents, charter and leasing, goods procured in ports by residents and other transportation debits.)

Data are available by trading partner.

Geographic CoverageAustralia.

Frequency of Data AvailabilityReleased monthly for goods and summaryservices data only. The balance of payments is available quarterly and annually for comprehensive and more detailed data.

Historical DataData are available from September quarter 1959; monthly data are available from July 1971.